Darkness, Shadow, Twilight Smears the Ground
by gadwow8
Summary: Three years after the end of Twilight's reign over Light, Hyrule is once again at war. As time passes, hope seems far away, but when three unlikely heroes join Hyrule's side to aid in the war, much changes. Perhaps hope is closer than people think.
1. Prologue

**Darkness/Shadow/Twilight Smears the Ground**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Zelda walked silently through the darkened streets, occasionally pausing to pet a small dog or cat that wandered up to the hem of her skirt and robe. It had been a good three years since the Twilight had corrupted the land of Light. And a good three years since the Twilight Princess, Midna, had last seen her old friends. Or maybe they weren't still friends. Maybe they were just old acquaintances that knew one another for a short amount of time, only to leave in the end.

Zelda looked up at the sky, praying to the Goddesses that her land would remain with hope. In the distance, war cries could be heard, the sound of clashing swords, neighing horses, and crying men along side of it. Zelda blinked before looking back at her feet in sorrow.

For two long years now, Hyrule had been at war, and the results had been devastating. All soldiers, guards, and men old enough to use a sword were sent into war, meaning that elders and women were to guard the lands. But because of their weaker state, more people were killed and monsters began roaming the once peaceful lands. If everything continued the way it did, Hyrule would fall with no doubt. Zelda looked around the small alleyway before leaning back onto one of the walls. "You can come out," she whispered softly.

There was a small creak from one of the roofs and a dark figured appeared before the princess, landing on the ground gracefully and soundlessly. Zelda nodded to it and closed her eyes. The way things were… Zelda could do nothing but the hates of the Royal Council. To hire a warrior. They said that war funds were already low and that if they spent it on traveling soldiers or warriors, the conditions of Hyrule would be even worse. Although what they said was true, hiring one or two warriors could not hurt. So that is what she did. She hired a warrior to fight in the war, and so far, the warrior had not failed her. Yet.

"Princess, some of your men are plotting to move ahead and find the general of Taphrow and kill him by themselves. They purposely did not report this to you."

"How do they plan on carrying out this task?" Zelda asked coolly.

"In the midst of the war, three or four of the men are to sneak to the outskirts of the fields, near the cliff hanging. News has spread that the general will be climbing up the cliffside to observe the battle from there. He is supposedly going to camp there for a night and on that night, the men will sneak up the cliff and execute the general." The figure paused and began to replay the men's conversations in his head. "From what I have heard, Princess, they haven't a clue how they are going to get up the cliff, kill the general, or even manage to get through alive for that matter."

Zelda bit her lip. As much as their plan was badly thought out and it was as good as suicide, they couldn't die in the troubled times they were currently. All strength was needed to fight. And to throw their lives away during war was idiotic and irrational.

"I will attempt to stop this if you wish, Princess," the figure offered.

"No, no. If they succeed, Taphrow's soldiers will be lost without a leader and we will be able to recover, even if they decide to launch a second attack."

"And if they fail?"

Zelda frowned. "Then we have lost soldiers in war. It is to be expected. But-"

"Don't you think that it is unrighteous if they disobey their Princess's word?" the figure interrupted.

"What is your name again?" Zelda asked.

"You may call me, Shadow, Your Highness…"

"Shadow, well, yes, it would be wrong if they did not follow my word, but it would also be wrong if they didn't even try to save their land." She smiled at Shadow who was trying his hardest to not speak the words on his mind. 'You are a crazy ruler,' Shadow would probably say to her. But still, it was true, no matter what she thought. "Shadow," Zelda said softly, "how long do you think you will serve me? I do not know how much longer I will be able to pay you for your services."

Shadow blinked and turned away. "Your payments are not necessary, Princess. I am of Hyrule, so no payment is needed. I am simply doing this for the sake of this ancient land."

Zelda took in a deep, shaky breath and nodded. "Thank you."

"And, Princess, if you truly desire your land to be saved, I can do something that will turn this war around."

"What is it?"

Shadow raised his head in the air, almost as if he were trying to force himself to agree to whatever. "I cannot say right now, for you will see eventually, but I must warn you that I will not be able to serve you for quite some time… So, in my place, may I suggest that you put _your _general into war? Disguise him with some other garb so he is unrecognizable. Cut his hair, purposely dye his skin. I know what I ask of you is risky, but it will help your kingdom as I go elsewhere for help. And if I fail, and your general is left in battle, I will offer myself as a sacrifice to the Taphrow so they will leave this land in peace once more."

Zelda closed her eyes once more before nodding. "I thank you… Although the Council will ask why I send him into battle, I will somehow manage to mislead them. I thank you again…"

Shadow bowed low before heading away. "I will follow you back to the castle." He jumped up onto the rooftops, his figure blending in with the starless sky.

Zelda nodded to him as she walked through the streets, listening to her feet tap lightly on the cold, stone ground. She began wondering if sending her general into war was a good thing. But, it had to be, right? There was no other option but to do so. If what Shadow said was true, then her general would be sent into war. Her general… Her Link…

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: That is my prologue to this new story. I just wanted to get this out here already because I have had this idea for ages, so if I were you I wouldn't expect an update anytime soon. Sorry! I do accept all kinds of critizem, just nothing too harsh, okay? Thanks. And I hope you enjoyed this small prologue to my new story. And if you know what characters I like from Zelda, you will know who is in this.**

**Review are like love~!**


	2. Turn of Twilight

**Darkness, Shadow, Twilight Smears the Ground**

_**I. Turn of Twilight**_

She sat in a throne before him, her nails drumming in annoyance on the armrest, soon to create a dint from her over-impatience. "Where do you come from?" she asked, her voice echoing throughout the dark room. "I can say that I do not believe you, for a warrior does not come to my castle with absurd tales and a quite strange appearance." She paused. "But a similar appearance," she added quietly to herself.

"Princess, I come from a far away land, but, I have come to seek your help. You know of Princess Zelda of Hyrule, correct?"

The princess froze and her drumming ceased. Slowly, her face narrowed into a sharp scowl. "Excuse me?" she questioned.

"You are Princess Midna, ruler of the Twili. Or am I wrong?"

Midna's face softened but her body remained frozen. Why couldn't she answer to this man? And how did he know…? Midna took in a deep breath. "I-I am, but who are you to speak, when I do not know who you are?"

The man bowed low. "Your Highness, you may just call me Shadow. I have been hired by Princess Zelda to aid in the war her kingdom is currently in. I offered to seek additional help, and you were my first choice in succor. But if you choose not to, then I can see why. After all, you were the one to break the Mirror of Twilight and ultimately destroy the passage between the Light and Twilight. So, I can imagine that you do not wish to show your face there again."

Midna fumed. Was Shadow assuming that she was a coward? She stood up and pointed at him. "How are you here?" Her lips curled viciously as she spoke her words. He just said it: That she ultimately broke the Mirror of Twilight and there was no way to return to either of the worlds. So how was he here? Midna began to wonder if Shadow really was one of Zelda's. Slowly, a thought crossed her mind. "I want you to remove that cloak you wear," she commanded.

Shadow frowned at her but obeyed. It slid off his shoulders, revealing a pale, muscular figure beneath. Tight clothed, tabard, cowl, knives, the obvious for a true warrior was what this figure wore. Blonde hair draped over his left eye, leaving the left scarlet colored and focused. Midna tipped her head to the side. Only the Light dwellers had blonde hair and pale skin. That was something she knew. But red eyes? Not one man had red eyes in the Light Realm - or that she knew of. It was like her people to have the red eyes. So what exactly was this warrior?

Before Midna, Sheik chuckled, snapping her out of her small trance. "So, Princess Midna of Twilight, are you satisfied? Or do you have any more wishes?"

Midna glared at him. "How did you get here?" she asked once more.

"I can only tell you if you agree to help Zelda." Shadow grinned beneath his cowl. It was amusing to have Princess Midna at his control. From what he had heard during his travels was that she was a stubborn girl and rarely ever lost an argument or felt at loss. But now, Shadow was the puppet master and Midna was the puppet.

"Fine," Midna answered angrily. "Now tell me."

Shadow nodded and turned around. Midna jumped up from the throne angrily and hitched up her skirts. So he was going to have her follow him? Well, at least she could always change her mind when it came to helping Zelda. Midna paused in her tracks suddenly and Shadow turned to face her, curiosity evident on his face. If Shadow showed her the way to reach the Light… she would without doubt go back there. Even if it wasn't to help Zelda. Even if it meant she was to abandon her land. Either way, she would still go back, for her own happiness.

"Are you to come, Princess?" Shadow questioned.

Midna gave a sharp nod. Hurrying after him, her mind began to wander. Numerous questions about the warrior floated through her mind, but she said not a word to him, for some things were best left unsaid - or asked in that matter. All that she wanted to ask him though was how did he manage to find a way to the realm of Twilight. And how exactly was he to get back.

A small smile began to grow on her face. She was going back to the Light Realm! Midna almost let out a squeal of excitement, but she remembered that she was not alone, and such behavior would ruin her stubborn and laidback reputation. But instead of making a sound of enjoyment, her pace began to quicken, and soon she was sprinting down one of the darkened hallways of the Palace of Twilight. Shadow had expected Midna's notion so he, like her, began running down the halls as well, with the Princess slightly behind.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Zelda took in deep breath and looked around at the battlefield before her. She had sent Link into war, as Shadow had instructed, but it had been two days since his last appearance. She shook her head. She shouldn't be expecting immediate results; after all, Shadow was not a god.

Zelda conjured Nayru's Love and reflected an arrow that flew towards her. The arrow flew to the side, leaving Zelda not the slightest amount dazed. Turning her head to the side as her voice was called, she saw Link fighting his way towards her through the war mass. The green-clad hero ran up to her, panting. His eyes flashed angrily as he was about to question her on why she was not in the protection of her castle. Instead, she was standing pointlessly in the midst of a war. Not the smartest thing for someone that had the Triforce of Wisdom to do.

"Princess, get back, now!"

Zelda blinked and shook her head. "Men are dying and the war is far from turning. We are at loss Link. Even if I come out to join your side nothing much will change even if I am killed. You are this armies general Link, Goddesses! Don't just believe that you can handle this all alone even though that is what you are." She paused and tipped her head to the side. In front of her, Link stared flabbergasted. Zelda grabbed him and pulled him behind a large boulder where there presence would shortly be hidden. "I will help, no matter what the consequences."

"You are a crazy princess…" Link muttered under his breath. His sword rose suddenly as a man dropped dead beside their hiding place. The men of Taphrow were saying odd things in their language that sounded vaguely like simple grunts and groans. "But you can get killed!" He stood and looked at her, "I know that you wish to fight, but-" Link dropped to his knees as a loud cry was heard somewhere in the field. Both he and Zelda covered their ears from the horrible caterwaul, and as quickly as it had come, it died back to just the war cries of men and clashing of swords.

Zelda looked up at the bloodstained field. Everything was the same as it previously was… but what was that sound? Link picked up his sword that had dropped from his hand. He closed his eyes and pointed up towards the sky. His lips formed inaudible words, but no words were needed when Zelda looked up as well.

The blue sky, unsuitable for a bloody war, now held voids of darkness, quite similar to the ones of Twilight. Zelda frowned. Twilight was gone, so that could not be right, but then what was the cause of them? She turned to face Link again, but time seemed to pause right at that very second. The hero yelled her name and a shadowy figure ran past the two startled people and counterattacked a blow from a second figure, behind Zelda. The shadow kicked Zelda back towards Link who caught her by surprise. He dropped his sword, again.

The shadow kicked at the other figure, making him flinch. Link grabbed his sword and came from behind Zelda. The figure that the shadow kicked was lying in pain on the ground, looking up with fearful eyes as Link pointed his ancient weapon at him. The shadow walked up beside him and drew a dagger, joining in with pointing at the figure.

Zelda walked up beside the shadow and hero. She grabbed both their shoulders and pulled them away. They looked angrily at her.

"What are you doing?" Link hissed. "He just tried to kill you."

Zelda nodded. She walked over to the figure to see that he was a middle-aged man, no more than his late forties. Dark matted hair was spread thinly along his head and shielded his eyes from the princess's view. Dried blood was on his dirtied skin and a sword lay at his knees before him. "Do not kill unless there is reason," she said flatly. "General, we are losing our own men in war, so why do we not take prisoners and use them as our own soldiers?"

Link blinked in surprise. "Excuse me, Princess, but I don't exactly think I know what you are saying."

Zelda's eyes flashed at him. "Hylian soldiers and men are dying in this war, correct? More than Taphrow's men. If we take Taphrow's men and use them to serve us, don't you think we may have a better chance at winning?"

"Now why in the Light would you use those sorry excuses for men to serve you?" snapped an impatient voice from behind the shadow, Zelda, and Link.

"Ah, Midna, your army has just recently opened a portal, so they should be coming quite soon," the shadow said.

Link and Zelda almost choked. "Midna?" they asked simultaneously. Link's face lit up happily and he was about to squeeze the Twili Princess if Zelda did not put out her hand. Zelda, unlike Link, had questions then floating through her mind.

"How are you here?" she asked blankly. Although she was glad to see her old friend and her heart felt somewhat lighter, this was not the time to have a reunion.

Midna shrugged and a dark purple orb formed at her fingertips. She sent the magic at the man who lay on the ground behind the three and hit him as he attempted to scurry away. Midna looked up and gave that evil grin of hers. "You have to ask Shadow here, he was the one who came and got me."

Zelda turned to face Shadow and tried to speak. "When you left… You went to the Twilight? How? The mirror is broken and-"

"Princess, I know you have numerous questions, but we are exposed her at the boundary of a battle field. Although this rock right here may hide, us, weren't you just almost killed?" Shadow asked, patting the large boulder they hid behind.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever y' say Shadow," Midna said with a flick of her hand. She peered over Zelda's shoulder at the Taphrow man. "What are you gunna do with him?" she asked. "And I can warp us back to the castle."

Zelda nodded to Shadow. "You helped save me, and, um, I do not think Link is in the working mood…" She glanced at Link who was still staring at Midna who was looking around lazily, even though a war was within sight. She smiled as Shadow nodded and grabbed the other man by the collar and ran off into the war. "Midna, please…"

The Twilight Princess nodded and pointed at the ground. Her brow furrowed as twilit magic came from her fingertips and created a portal on the earth. She beckoned Zelda and a still-dazed Link into it and she closed her eyes as they pixilated into the sky, only to arrive at Hyrule Castle.

Midna grinned once at their destination. She sent the surprised servants and guards a nasty look, causing them to hurry away. She turned around in a circle, taking in all her eyes could see. Last time she had been there, the throne room was destroyed and chaotic with shards of stone pillars scattered along the ground; the grand statue of supposedly the three goddesses now had all of the three heads, unlike only two. The room was now peaceful leave a few frightened servants that refused to move from the shadows.

Zelda shook her head. "Was it absolutely necessary to scare them?" she asked.

Midna shrugged. Looking over at Zelda, she pushed her tongue to the side of her mouth before she spoke once more. "My soldiers are now fighting alongside yours, thanks to Shadow. I was told he was working for you, right? And that your Council members were against hiring him. Aren't the Council members horrible? It took lots of convincing to have me rule over the Twilight, and since I am, they really aren't happy. We-"

"Midna," Zelda said, putting up a hand to refrain the other princess from speaking. "Please. I am to thank you, so very much! Honestly, I had no clue what Shadow was to do, but-"

"Yeah, yeah, that man does amazing things, I know." Midna began twirling in place. Her black robe floated around her, almost as a protective shield that looked as light as the air itself.

"Yes, I know as well. But, just tell me, how are you here? The Mirror of Twilight was shattered, was it not?"

Midna winced at the memory. "It was." She placed her hands on her hips stubbornly. "But Light and Darkness cannot mix! It is simply-"

"You are contradicting yourself, Midna." Zelda and Midna turned to face Link who finally appeared to have come out of his dazed state. He stood with his arms crossed behind Zelda with an emotionless look upon his face. "You're here now, aren't you?"

Midna smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am. But I thought that Light and Darkness shouldn't mix when I was still here. Over time… I changed my mind. I decided that I like it this way. Not when there is war though, I mean."

Zelda and Link exchanged glances and Midna grabbed them both, pulling them into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I broke the mirror!" she said sadly.

Zelda at first looked utterly surprised, but eventually returned Midna's friendly hug gently. Link, on the other hand, squeezed the Twilight Princess tightly with a smile plastered onto his face.

"Midna?" Zelda whispered softly.

"What?"

"Are you crying?"

Midna jumped back in surprise and let her robe hide her face. "Of course not! I don't cry! Have you ever even seen me cry before?" she asked angrily. She rubbed her nose and sniffed. "I'm not crying," she finished stubbornly. Turning her head away she let out a snort, a poor attempt to 'show' she was not teary-eyed.

"And I'm not done," Link added softly before walking up to Midna and hugging her once more but much more gently.

Zelda watched their embrace with a faint smile traced onto her lips. She beckoned to a maid who had paused for a moment. She mouthed to her to prepare a guestroom for Midna to stay in while she aided Zelda in war. The maid curtsied before hurrying off like the others.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Bastard…" the man managed to his through Shadow's binding grip. He coughed.

Shadow paused from running and looked out. They were standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ongoing war. Throwing the man to the ground he folded his arms across his chest, trying hard not to attack the man who attempted to murder Zelda. Behind him, Shadow heard the man attempt to push himself off the ground, but due to his exhaustion because of struggling against Shadow, he could not, so instead he just tried sitting up. Shadow ignored the man's uncouth comments and looked out to the battle that raged on. His eyes would set on the gold colored soldiers of Hyrule and would watch them fall lifelessly to the ground. The dark, shadowy forms of the Twili beings darkened the field, adding black to the mixtures of gold and red.

"-so that just leads to this question, _warrior,_" the man hissed, "and answer this: Are you prepared to die? And what are you to do with me, you-" The Taphrow man's voice died away as Shadow grabbed him by the neck.

"I agree with the Twilight Princess in that you people are scum for attacking a peaceful kingdom and no mercy should be given to you. Zelda should not use you. Instead, we should just dispose of you," he said monotonously.

The man gasped for air, his lungs were on fire as Shadow's grip tightened angrily around his neck. His hands scrabbled around desperately as he tried to remove the shadow's hold on him. "Please!" he begged, using almost all of his remaining air. "Listen…"

"What?" Shadow hissed. He dropped the man to the ground and watched him slump into a pile as he gasped for need air.

The man looked up, tears growing in the corner of his eyes and bowed down. "I am but a lowly soldier who was recruited for this war. I work on a farm near the outside of Taphrow's boundaries and since men were needed for this war large amounts of money were being offered to those who joined. I just wanted it to save my farm."

Shadow looked down at him for a while, flaming red eyes meeting with an earth brown. The man flinched from the look and turned away.

"Lies."

"Excuse me?" the man asked, astounded.

"You are lying. A Taphrow farm man would have strong arms and legs from working in the fields day and night. They would have tanned skin - unlike your own - and calloused hands that were stained with earth. You, sir, have pale skin, and your hands may be calloused, but from holding a sword too tightly, showing amateur swordsmanship and low ranking in an army, but higher ranking from a recruit. Taphrow is famous for its well-bred war horses, and the men who ride them are usually light so the horse does not carry a large amount of weight to carry excluding the packs. Light men like yourself. If you were a farm man you would have larger muscles." Shadow snorted and looked away from the surprised man. "Maybe I should just do away with you…"

"Please!" the man begged once more. "I am sorry for lying! Just please-" His voice stopped suddenly and he dropped to the ground.

Shadow turned around and took a deep breath. He pulled the man's body upward to see a small knife lodged into his through. Goddesses, the man had driven himself to insanity think that Shadow really was going to kill him. Shadow glanced at the cliff that rested a few feet away. Maybe the man though he was going to throw him down the cliff.

"Killing our men, are you?" asked a gruff voice from behind Shadow. Turning around, he saw a man, much larger than the one that lay in a puddle of blood on the ground. "I am Amadi, soldier of Taphrow, a man who has passed the Hundred Trials!" he yelled proudly. He drew a sword and pointed it angrily.

Shadow shook his head. He was in no mood to fight, but when he was being attacked, well, he had to fight; he would never run away and be known as a coward. His people would look down at him shamefully if he ever ran from a fight. Shadow drew a long dagger from a sheath that was strapped to his lower back. He paused for a moment as he recalled what Amadi had said. He mentioned something about the Hundred Trials, didn't he? Shadow had heard that it was a challenge only given to the bravest of men, but because of its gruesome challenges, it had been banned from Hyrule. Murder, rape, thievery, starvation, and torture were among the trials, obviously showing why it was not allowed in Hyrule.

Amadi lunged at Shadow suddenly, catching the warrior off guard. Shadow's mind quickly came back to its senses as Amadi's blade just missed its mark.

Shadow drew his dagger, striking his opponent right under the shoulder blade of his sword hand. He let out a cry of pain and his sword clattered to the dusty ground. Shadow's eyes focused on Amadi and he asked, "Do you still wish to fight me even though you have a bad arm that cannot serve you anymore?"

The soldier stood and ripped Shadow's dagger out of his arm. He stabbed at Shadow. The Taphrow man smirked as the blade stopped, thinking that he had gotten it right in the warrior's chest. Because, after all, he did aim for Shadow's chest before he lunged. As he looked up, his eyes widened in fear. Before him stood Shadow still, his eyes blank, but that was not what surprised him, it was the dagger's blade gripped in his hand without shedding any blood. The warrior had stopped Amadi's attack.

"Are you done playing around?" Shadow asked him. He lifted his foot high and brought it down on Amadi's head, knocking the man unconscious. Just because his opponent was larger than him did not mean he was stronger.

Shadow shook his head sat on the cliff, looking out at the battle. War was a foolish thing in truth. If there is a single disagreement between kingdoms there would be a war. But Shadow knew that this did not exactly apply to Zelda. Hyrule had been attacked because the land had to cancel the trade routes because they had to use the supplies the managed to gather during time for themselves because of a rough harvest that year. So, Taphrow's royalty had gotten upset and attacked.

Although Shadow had been trained for fighting, he was also trained to be a peacekeeper, so that there would be no need to fight. But during the times he was in, men thirsted for blood, they did not care if others died, they just wanted to feel the surge of energy or whatever the felt when they killed someone. It was like a craving, needing to kill.

Of course, the world just couldn't change. It would be impossible. So, as long as men continued to roam the earth there would be fighting. And there would be no stop to it, whether it was a fight for good or bad.

Shadow stood and headed down to the midst of the war. His sole purpose was to aid Zelda at that time, and he would continue to do so until his last breath, despite the challenges that awaited him.

**A/N: Well, sorry if this was a bit late… I did say that I wasn't exactly going to hurry with this, but, unfortunately I have reached a writers block for Forever Adored, so I decided to work on this and ended up finishing this chapter. =) Also, the rating on this will probably be going up, so just a heads up there if it really does. Hope you like this.**

**Reviews are love~**


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